Today is Monday, January 3rd,
2004 2005. If you live in the Witchita area and need a little exercise, why not stop by
Messiah Baptist Church for some "Body and Soul Aerobics"? The first session is free.
Today's Categories:
Tsunami
Common Dreams (via Speak from the Heart)
reports that the tsunami death toll may reach 200,000.
RNR thought fair was fair, so we ought to mention, contra Chuck Currie and a few other left-leaning religious bloggers, that the conservative side of the equation actually has been raising funds for tsunamit relief.
But then we saw a couple of items that gave us pause. First up, this tidbit from a Christianity Today article on same-sex marriage:
"We fully expect a tsunami of litigation," says Matt Daniels, president of the Alliance for Marriage. AFM is a nonpartisan coalition seeking to amend the U.S. Constitution to prevent the redefinition of marriage. Daniels fears that state and federal judges will invalidate the measures.
So abortion is a "holocaust" and couples suing for the same rights as anyone else is a "tsunami." And Christians wonder where they get the reputation for being uncaring.
Then there's this from Christian cartoonist faithmouse:
It's a good thing this tsunami came along. Otherwise, how would we have an opportunity to bash somebody else's religion?
Religion & Politics
The Justice Department has released a new memo broadening the definition of torture. In theory, that will limit the forms of pressure tactics that can be applied to prisoners. In practice, do you suppose it might have anything to do with Alberto Gonzalez's upcoming confirmation hearings?
You might wonder why the recent disclosure that the US government doled out $1 billion to faith-based groups in 2003 would fall under the heading "Religion & Politics." This report from WHO-TV in Des Moines might clarify things: it looks like faith-based initiatives was just code for "pork" after all.
RNR notes with sadness the death of Shirley Chisholm, who always seemed to us a fine example of a Christian in action.
The Center for Corporate Policy has a list of the Top Ten War Profiteers of 2004. Number 1 reason you should read it: Halliburton clocks in at 7.
Joe Feurherd of National Catholic Reporter interviews some interesting faithforward activists. RNR wishes they'd come and work on our new blog, or at least wrangle us an invite to some of those Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy conference calls.
Another well-covered story: Dr. James Dobson is targeting moderate senators from red states unless they agree not to block Pres. Bush's latest round of judicial nominees. Chuck Currie gives him what-for, as does Pam, but we think Jesus Politics actually has the right take on the issue. RNR shudders at the thought of agreeing on anything with Chuck Colson, but he's right: identifying too closely with one party is demeaning to the Christian faith, and it does put Christians in a conveniently ignored box.
This 'n' That
Yet another well-covered story: some parents at a Catholic school in Costa Mesa, California are objecting to the enrollment of two sons of a gay couple. We don't have much to add, other than that this editorial provides a fairly solid line of reasoning:
The 18 parents at St. John the Baptist no doubt believe they're right. How might they convince themselves otherwise?
To me, it's obvious: How persuasive can any religious argument be that, as its outcome, results in forcing two kindergartners out of school?
If I were one of the 18, I'd ask myself that question and then follow my heart.
Barna Research Group, an evangelical polling organization that's well-respected in church circles, was recently commissioned by the Southern Baptist Convention to study some religious trends in Kentucky. What they came up with doesn't exactly fit some pre-conceived notions. Max Blumenthal has more. And while we're challenging pre-conceived notions, check out this NPR report: turns out some of the poorest areas of the US are the best givers to charity.
The atheists are organizing! The atheists are organizing!
The Christian Post has the most offensive lede to a story we've seen in a while:
Florida's Second District Court of Appeal Dec. 29 affirmed a lower court's decision not to re-open a case involving the religious liberty of a woman in a vegetative state, Terri Schiavo.
Nice to know that our religious freedom will determine whether the plug is pulled, and not our express wishes. RNR can only say from pastoral experience: make a living will, folks.
Write it down.
An Autobiographical Note
Ten years ago today, I left Minneapolis for seminary in Atlanta. I boarded my plane with a one-way ticket, two suitcases and directions to a campus I'd never seen before.
It was 8 below when I packed up my rusty Toyota in Minneapolis, but the night I arrived in Atlanta, it was 70 degrees. I thought I was in hog heaven: cigarettes and a gallon of gas were each about $1.00, half their price in the Twin Cities.
I learned a great many things in seminary, beyond what you'd expect: that given the right combination of alcohol and desire, I could be attractive; that sometimes, you didn't even need the hooch to find me attractive; that I was authentically smart and authentically crazy--and that there would always be some who were smarter and crazier than me--that master's students angling to get into a doctoral program in a seminar can be some of the worst people you'll ever meet; and, perhaps not coincidentally, my calling was to pastoral ministry, not academia.
I lived with a murderer in Atlanta, learned to eat Indian food, cracked up a car, worked in the belly of the corporate beast, attended the 1996 Olympics and God knows how many Braves games.
I left Atlanta on a sunny and mild winter day almost exactly four years after I arrived. A few days later, I moved into a rented house in Central PA in the midst of a snowstorm. We almost had to cancel church the next day.
In all the years since I left Minneapolis, I have had my share of ups-and-downs. I'll only mention a few of the ups: in 2000, I married Mrs. Pastor, and later that same year, she correctly intuited that I might be bipolar. In 2001, I met our beloved goddaughter for the first time on a beautiful summer evening. She said about two words to us, then went to rejoin a baseball game. Three-and-a-half years later, she still says about two words to us--and we're talking about going to see her play basketball.
But through all of the struggles, I have had the sense of God's compassion, and a sense of direction in my life. Even better, I have come to learn more and more about how God's love finds its vessel in the bodies of the people I meet. That includes you, gentle readers.
For all that, I am profoundly grateful, and hope that I can live up to the grace I have been given.